Our Blog
Limiting our Experience of Suffering
No one wants to experience pain or suffering. Just as we are hard wired to physically recoil from a hot stove, we are hard wired to want to avoid emotional pain and heartache. Yet, sometimes we find ourselves stuck "marinating" in the misery or making our pain more...
Facing Relationship Challenges as a Team During Trying Times
Life will always have a certain amount of trials and challenges to face, and 2020 has given us more than our fair share it seems. Instead of turning on one another, though, how can couples face the challenging issues as a team... and win? Have you tried taking an...
SAD Solutions: 7 Effective Alternatives to Medication for Seasonal Affective Disorder
For some people, it can feel like the long winter months of dreary days, cloudy skies and cold temperatures last forever. While the season can make anyone feel a little bit down, for those with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD, or winter blues), it can create even...
A New Take on New Year’s Resolution
The year ahead needs a different kind of New Year’s Resolution. After the year we’ve had, plans to work out more and eat less are helpful, but might be superseded by resolutions more centered on our emotional health. Consider what we’ve endured! Separately and...
Dare to Not Compare
It’s human nature to look at the lives of other people and compare them to your own. This "social referencing" is not a new practice. Comparison has been going on since the beginning of time. Unfortunately, it can fuel feelings of jealousy and worsen insecurity,...
How To Raise Strong Daughters
All children need to be raised with balance, loving affection, and discipline. Children thrive on things like routine and structure. No matter their gender, all children need to be taught to embrace their strengths, handle their weaknesses, and overcome the...
Got an Internal Critic? Strategies for Being Less Judgmental
Do you find yourself frequently making harsh judgments about yourself? Do you frequently put yourself down when you fall short of your expectations? Have you ever noticed that the self criticisms hinder your performance and affect how you feel about yourself? Over...
7 Ways to Make Merry With Your Kids for the Holidays
The holidays are best enjoyed with a healthy dose of children’s glee and excitement! The kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, or other children in your life look forward to this season all year long. Chances are, some of your best memories of the holidays are from...
30 Journal Prompts for Gratitude Practices
Developing more gratitude in our life is often hard to do. If you are looking for ways to practice more positive thinking and gratitude, consider using journal prompts as a way to shift your focus and perspective. Why Gratitude is Hard to Practice Does it seem like...
Prioritizing Your Changing Needs
In these uncertain times, meeting your changing needs is more important than ever. Being able to understand and prioritize the more important needs is vital when you are low on energy and stressed out. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the ideas behind...
Chronic Illness During the Holidays
Dealing with a chronic illness at any time can take every last bit of energy and strength you have. When holidays roll around, whether it’s the middle of the summer and you’re celebrating the 4th of July or a birthday, or you’re already stressing over...
5 Habits that Make Your Anger Worse
There are things you can do in your daily life that make anger easier to handle. There are also habits that can make it worse. Not only can those habits cause you to become angry more often, but they can make your bouts of anger more intense for everyone. So, what...
Tips to Improve Sleep
Sleep problems are a common issue that most people experience from time to time. A night or two of poor sleep can be managed, but if it becomes a pattern, everything in life is affected. If you find yourself chronically running on empty, you most likely are also...
Cancel Culture, Anxiety, & Indecision
Are you so worried about saying or doing the "wrong" thing? This component of social anxiety has been significantly worsened in recent months due to the "cancel culture. Life after the pandemic has forced us to re-evaluate even the most mundane tasks. Simple moments...
How to Finally Let Go of Guilt
Some people struggle with feelings of guilt more than others. You might look at other people in your life and wonder how they can brush things off so easily. Meanwhile, you find yourself feeling terrible over something you may have done or said – even something that...
What is Grit and How Do We Cultivate it?
Resiliency is more than just the ability to “bounce back”. When you hear someone talk about having “grit”, there is probably a very clear picture in your mind of what that means. Having grit also means having an underlying determination. It allows you to face...
The Aftermath: How to Come Back From Conflict
All relationships have conflict. Marital conflict is typical. Healthy relationships have conflict and are able to regulate its intensity and also repair with more ease and effectiveness. Conflict can also help address issues and related relationship and...
Tips to Help Loved Ones Understand Your Depression
When you’re dealing with depression, it’s easy to feel like you’re completely alone. Depression impacts everyone differently. While there are some common signs and symptoms, that doesn’t mean it is a “cookie-cutter” illness. So, it can be hard for friends and...
Kintsugi – Mending Flaws with Gold
Kintsugi is the Japenese art of repairing broken pottery with a lacquer that includes gold dust (read more here). It is a beautiful symbol of a philosophy that honors the crack as an important part of the history of the object and not something to repair and hide from...
How to Not Care So Much About What Others Think About You
Do you care too much about other's opinion of you? Everyone wants to feel accepted. It is human nature to want to be loved, cared for, and even liked within your group of friends. In this world of social media, the desire to feel that acceptance has grown even more....
6 Ways to Improve Self-Esteem
Dealing with self-esteem issues can be difficult. It can lead to a lack of confidence, hinder your relationships or career, and can even lead to other mental health issues like depression or anxiety. Self-esteem doesn’t mean you ignore your rough edges or think you’re...
Inspirational Verses to Manage Anxiety
No matter the trials or times of darkness we endure, turning to God and His counsel can help us to find peace, comfort, and reassurance. That’s especially true if you’re dealing with anxiety. Anxiety can be crippling and debilitating at times. Feelings of fear,...
5 Reasons to Let Go of Perfectionism
Perfectionism might sound like a positive trait on paper. After all, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to do or be your best, right? Unfortunately, true perfectionism goes far beyond that. You know that executing anything perfectly all of the time is simply...
Life After COVID-19 – the New Normal?
There is no question that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted nearly everyone across the world. Many people lost their jobs. Most people have been under some type of lockdown or stay-at-home order. You may even know someone who contracted the virus. Needless to...